Why?

This reflection celebrates reaching a whole year of monthly journal entries. When I started, I didn’t know if there would be any interest in them. The truth? There isn’t much, but they are bigger to me than simply getting numbers to read them. They mark my journey; the progress I have made from beginner, through intermediate, to finding my niche and passion and then striving to elevate my practice as much as I possibly can within this. I know I ramble a bit, but I love writing (it’s one of the many extra things I try and squeeze into my days), so it keeps me happy, and if anyone happens to be interested, then it informs them too. The title of this entry though doesn’t refer to why I write journal entries, it relates to my craft.

I attended an online meeting recently as part of an ongoing attempt to hone my business skills (these are sorely lacking, despite many efforts to do better - definitely more on this at a later date). The host posed a question which on the face of it seemed so simple that my initial reply was equally simple.  She asked why, as creatives, we do what we do? My reply – I love it, I simply couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She wasn’t happy with this though, asking us to dig deeper, to keep posing the question ‘why?’  every time we came up with a new answer. 

After gently probing the whole group, we were given the opportunity to work in randomly assigned smaller groups to discuss our answers. I was part of a group of three creatives, and we had an interesting discussion. We all had very different creative outlets and backgrounds, and were from different regions geographically. However, between the three of us, and consequently upon further discussion back within the whole group, our answers were, at their core, almost identical. We all felt we couldn’t turn our backs on our passion to do any other job. It was as though we had a calling, and to follow any other path than this was simply inconceivable.

In truth, many creatives work a part-time job just to be able to keep afloat financially. Sales within the arts and crafts world can be erratic at the best of times, even within a strong economy, but there is added pressure on many creatives within the current cost of living crisis. A job on the side can help to provide a defined, reliable income. I recently spoke to someone who is currently working three jobs in addition to her creative business because she is finding things really hard at the moment. It’s not that we’re not capable of doing other work, it’s that when you find the thing you love, it is nearly impossible not to try everything possible to make it work. That doesn’t mean that every creative will have a business that flourishes, and many will fail, which is perhaps the thing I find most sad.

For myself, I don’t know if I can make this business work. It’s still in its early stages.  I am however filled with passion for what I do, and I’m excited about the future. My work is always evolving, and I love the process of realising concepts. Within the same meeting I was asked how I came up with a specific design, and it was really difficult to answer. I realised that there was effectively a trail of invisible breadcrumbs that I had followed over a prolonged period of time to get to this current design. My work has been accepted by galleries, and the very first one of these represented the pinnacle of my dreams when I first started making. In many ways my dreams have already come true. The problem with being a dreamer though, is that new ones come along, and they are bigger and reach higher than the first. Also, for me (and maybe this is why I’m not great at business), none of my dreams relate to financial goals, they are more commonly focused on finding a community, both of fellow makers, and customers.

Why then do I do what I do? The honest answer is still my first one – I love it. I know, too, that it’s so much more complex than this. I’ve expIored the deeper reasons and I understand them, but I just can’t turn them off or ignore them. Through my making and my work, I hope to educate, motivate and inspire others, as I have been educated, motivated and inspired by those who probably don’t even realise I see their work.  Maybe that’s at the core, I never know who might see my work and pause to appreciate it, who might read a journal entry, or who might have their interest piqued by stumbling across a (sporadic) Instagram post. That’s the beauty and that’s the dream, that someone will find me and love what I do as much as I do.